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Primary Documents

Primary documents pertaining to the section on Avellino - click on a thumbnail image to view the document full-size.

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Tresgaskis interviews »
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Click to view primary document from the section on Avellino in The Boldest Plan is the Best The Combat History of the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion during WWII Click to view primary document from the section on Avellino in The Boldest Plan is the Best The Combat History of the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion during WWII
   
Click to view primary document from the section on Avellino in The Boldest Plan is the Best The Combat History of the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion during WWII Click to view primary document from the section on Avellino in The Boldest Plan is the Best The Combat History of the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion during WWII
   
Click to view primary document from the section on Avellino in The Boldest Plan is the Best The Combat History of the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion during WWII Click to view primary document from the section on Avellino in The Boldest Plan is the Best The Combat History of the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion during WWII
   
Click to view primary document from the section on Avellino in The Boldest Plan is the Best The Combat History of the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion during WWII Click to view primary document from the section on Avellino in The Boldest Plan is the Best The Combat History of the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion during WWII
   
Click to view primary document from the section on Avellino in The Boldest Plan is the Best The Combat History of the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion during WWII Click to view primary document from the section on Avellino in The Boldest Plan is the Best The Combat History of the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion during WWII
   
Click to view primary document from the section on Avellino in The Boldest Plan is the Best The Combat History of the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion during WWII Click to view primary document from the section on Avellino in The Boldest Plan is the Best The Combat History of the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion during WWII
   
Click to view primary document from the section on Avellino in The Boldest Plan is the Best The Combat History of the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion during WWII Click to view primary document from the section on Avellino in The Boldest Plan is the Best The Combat History of the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion during WWII
   
Click to view primary document from the section on Avellino in The Boldest Plan is the Best The Combat History of the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion during WWII Click to view primary document from the section on Avellino in The Boldest Plan is the Best The Combat History of the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion during WWII
   
Click to view primary document from the section on Avellino in The Boldest Plan is the Best The Combat History of the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion during WWII Click to view primary document from the section on Avellino in The Boldest Plan is the Best The Combat History of the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion during WWII
   
Click to view primary document from the section on Avellino in The Boldest Plan is the Best The Combat History of the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion during WWII Click to view primary document from the section on Avellino in The Boldest Plan is the Best The Combat History of the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion during WWII
   
Click to view primary document from the section on Avellino in The Boldest Plan is the Best The Combat History of the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion during WWII Click to view primary document from the section on Avellino in The Boldest Plan is the Best The Combat History of the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion during WWII
   
Click to view primary document from the section on Avellino in The Boldest Plan is the Best The Combat History of the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion during WWII Click to view primary document from the section on Avellino in The Boldest Plan is the Best The Combat History of the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion during WWII
   
Click to view primary document from the section on Avellino in The Boldest Plan is the Best The Combat History of the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion during WWII Click to view primary document from the section on Avellino in The Boldest Plan is the Best The Combat History of the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion during WWII
   
Click to view primary document from the section on Avellino in The Boldest Plan is the Best The Combat History of the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion during WWII

Richard Tresgaskis was a well-known war correspondent during WWII. He is most famous for his book, Guadalcanal Diary. After leaving Guadalcanal, Tresgaskis went to the European Theater and was in Naples when members of the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion returned from their Avellino jump. The Avellino jump, on September 14, 1943, was the 509's operation behind the lines of the Salerno beachhead. Tresgaskis interviewed several members of the battalion and submitted their stories for print in newspapers around the United States. These interviews can be found in the National Archives at College Park, Maryland, in the records of the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion, Record Group 338. Below is a transcript of one of those stories.

McCarthy Transcipt (pdf)
   

Primary documents pertaining to the section on North Africa - click on a thumbnail image to view the document full-size.

Click to view primary document from the section on North Africa in The Boldest Plan is the Best The Combat History of the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion during WWII Click to view primary document from the section on North Africa in The Boldest Plan is the Best The Combat History of the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion during WWII
   
Click to view primary document from the section on North Africa in The Boldest Plan is the Best The Combat History of the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion during WWII Click to view primary document from the section on North Africa in The Boldest Plan is the Best The Combat History of the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion during WWII
   

Primary documents from the author's oral interview of Edward R. "Mike" Reuter - click on a thumbnail image to view the document or photo full-size.

Read transcript of interview »

The Geronimos wait to board the "40 by 8" (40 men or 8 horses) railroad cars that will take them to the Rheims area outside of Paris. Photo courtesy Edward R. Reuter.
The Geronimos wait to board the "40 by 8" (40 men or 8 horses) railroad cars that will take them to the Rheims area outside of Paris. Photo courtesy Edward R. Reuter. (pg 279)		 From the Edward R. "Mike" Reuter photo collection
From the Edward R. "Mike" Reuter photo collection
Climbing while on patrol in the Maritime Alps. Photo courtesy Edward R. Reuter.
From the Edward R. "Mike" Reuter photo collection		 Climbing while on patrol in the Maritime Alps. Photo courtesy Edward R. Reuter.
Climbing while on patrol in the Maritime Alps. Photo courtesy Edward R. Reuter. (pg 273)
From the Edward R. "Mike" Reuter photo collection
From the Edward R. "Mike" Reuter photo collection		 Preparing to leave for outpost duty. The civilian and his mule were hired to carry supplies to the mountain outpost. Photo courtesy Edward R. Reuter.
Preparing to leave for outpost duty. The civilian and his mule were hired to carry supplies to the mountain outpost. Photo courtesy Edward R. Reuter. (pg 274)
Lieutenant Edward R. "Mike" Reuter in the Maritime Alps, late September 1944. Photo courtesy Edward R. Reuter.
Lieutenant Edward R. "Mike" Reuter in the Maritime Alps, late September 1944. Photo courtesy Edward R. Reuter. (pg 275)		 Edmund Tomasik in the Maritime Alps, shortly before his promotion to major and taking over the battalion. Photo courtesy Edward R. Reuter.
Edmund Tomasik in the Maritime Alps, shortly before his promotion to major and taking over the battalion. Photo courtesy Edward R. Reuter. (pg 277)
From the Edward R. "Mike" Reuter photo collection
From the Edward R. "Mike" Reuter photo collection		 From the Edward R. "Mike" Reuter photo collection
From the Edward R. "Mike" Reuter photo collection
From the Edward R. "Mike" Reuter photo collection
From the Edward R. "Mike" Reuter photo collection		 B Company officers in Belgium, December 1944. Captain Winship stands in the center with Lieutenant McCarthy to his right. Within two weeks Lieutenant Reuter would be the only B Company officer left. All of the others would either be killed in action or in the hospital. Photo courtesy Edward R. Reuter.
B Company officers in Belgium, December 1944. Captain Winship stands in the center with Lieutenant McCarthy to his right. Within two weeks Lieutenant Reuter would be the only B Company officer left. All of the others would either be killed in action or in the hospital. Photo courtesy Edward R. Reuter. (pg 317)
From the Edward R. "Mike" Reuter photo collection
From the Edward R. "Mike" Reuter photo collection		 L-R: Captain Howland and Lieutenants Darden and DeLeo shortly after arriving in Belgium. Photo courtesy Edward R. Reuter.
L-R: Captain Howland and Lieutenants Darden and DeLeo shortly after arriving in Belgium. Photo courtesy Edward R. Reuter. (pg 289)
Planning the attack on "the castle" at La Napoule. Seated facing the camera is Major John Apperson, the battalion executive officer, killed several days later by a landmine. Photo courtesy Edward R. Reuter.
Planning the attack on "the castle" at La Napoule. Seated facing the camera is Major John Apperson, the battalion executive officer, killed several days later by a landmine. Photo courtesy Edward R. Reuter. (pg 265)		 A weary group of paratroopers from B Company after taking the castle at La Napoule. Photo courtesy Edward R. Reuter.
A weary group of paratroopers from B Company after taking the castle at La Napoule. Photo courtesy Edward R. Reuter. (pg 267)
At the 509th Officers Club in Naples. Back row L-R: Gorshe, Shaw, Berman, Martinez, Pahl, and Kelly. Front: Alden, Tracy, DeLeo, Oldham, and Livingston. Photo courtesy of Edward R. Reuter.
At the 509th Officers Club in Naples. Back row L-R: Gorshe, Shaw, Berman, Martinez, Pahl, and Kelly. Front: Alden, Tracy, DeLeo, Oldham, and Livingston. Photo courtesy of Edward R. Reuter. (pg 241)		 From the Edward R. "Mike" Reuter photo collection
From the Edward R. "Mike" Reuter photo collection
From the Edward R. "Mike" Reuter photo collection
From the Edward R. "Mike" Reuter photo collection		 The 509th billets in Villers-Collerets, France, December 1944. Photo courtesy Edward R. Reuter.
The 509th billets in Villers-Collerets, France, December 1944. Photo courtesy Edward R. Reuter. (pg 282)
From the Edward R. "Mike" Reuter photo collection
From the Edward R. "Mike" Reuter photo collection		 From the Edward R. "Mike" Reuter photo collection
From the Edward R. "Mike" Reuter photo collection
Private Burl Knapp of B Company walks with Mademoiselle Nicole Celebonovitch, one of the French Resistance who acted as a guide for the paratroopers during their assault on St. Tropez. Photo courtesy Edward R. Reuter.
Private Burl Knapp of B Company walks with Mademoiselle Nicole Celebonovitch, one of the French Resistance who acted as a guide for the paratroopers during their assault on St. Tropez. Photo courtesy Edward R. Reuter. (pg 258)		 Some B Company officers taken prior to Operation Dragoon. Standing L-R, Captain Bing Miller, Lieutenants Sorrelles, Knight, and Wallace. Kneeling are Lieutenants Knopp and Martinez. Photo courtesy Edward R. Reuter.
Some B Company officers taken prior to Operation Dragoon. Standing L-R, Captain Bing Miller, Lieutenants Sorrelles, Knight, and Wallace. Kneeling are Lieutenants Knopp and Martinez. Photo courtesy Edward R. Reuter. (pg 255)
From the Edward R. "Mike" Reuter photo collection
From the Edward R. "Mike" Reuter photo collection		 Soldiers from B Company take a break in front of a hotel in St. Tropez. Photo courtesy Edward R. Reuter.
Soldiers from B Company take a break in front of a hotel in St. Tropez. Photo courtesy Edward R. Reuter. (pg 257)
From the Edward R. "Mike" Reuter photo collection
From the Edward R. "Mike" Reuter photo collection		 From the Edward R. "Mike" Reuter photo collection
From the Edward R. "Mike" Reuter photo collection
A view of what remained of St. Vith during the Battle of the Bulge. Photo courtesy Edward R. Reuter.
A view of what remained of St. Vith during the Battle of the Bulge. Photo courtesy Edward R. Reuter. (pg 326)		 Two gingerbread men riding on a 7th Armored Division tank. Photo courtesy Edward R. Reuter.
Two gingerbread men riding on a 7th Armored Division tank. Photo courtesy Edward R. Reuter. (pg 323)
   

Primary documents from HHC of the 509th PIB, S-3 Journal & "War Diary" Nov 9, 1943 to Dec 14, 1943 at Mt. Croce, Italy.

509th PIB War Diary 509th PIB War Diary
509th PIB War Diary 509th PIB War Diary
509th PIB War Diary 509th PIB War Diary
509th PIB War Diary 509th PIB War Diary
509th PIB War Diary 509th PIB War Diary

Photos from the Author's private collection, taken at the Army Heritage and Education Center in Carlisle, PA

Sherman Tank on display at the Army Heritage and Education Center in Carlisle, PA
Sherman Tank on display at the Army Heritage and Education Center in Carlisle, PA		 WWII Era Tank Destroyer on display at the Army Heritage and Education Center in Carlisle, PA
WWII Era Tank Destroyer on display at the Army Heritage and Education Center in Carlisle, PA

References to the Sherman Tank found on pages 296 and 303

References to the Tank Destroyer found on pages 117-130, 145, 221, 232, 250, 264, 268, 288, 295, 302, 305, 307, 318

 

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